The Past Never Stays Where it Should
by TongueTwister
Summary: My take on Danny's involvement with the Tanglewood Boys. DannyOFC
1. Chapter 1

The Past Never Stays Where It Should

Chapter One

It was almost 7pm when Danny entered his girlfriend, Carmela's, building. As he put his key in the door of her penthouse apartment the events of the day replayed in his head. One sentence had been bouncing around his brain since it had left Sonny Sassone's mouth:

"He knows all about us and we know all about him."

Danny had managed to avoid Mac and Stella for the rest of the shift but they were going to want answers in the morning.

Danny entered the apartment to hear music coming from the kitchen. His sombre face brightened when he saw Carmela swinging her hips and miming along with the CD while stirring a pot on the stove.

"Hey baby!" the short brunette grinned when she spotted him leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his trouser pockets.

"Hey. Havin' fun?" he asked with a weak smile.

"Always", her grin grew, "Dinner'll be ready in 10."

"Okay. I'm just gonna jump in the shower", he said before jogging up the stairs.

Ten minutes later and Danny returned downstairs dressed in loose fitting jeans and a white short-sleeved t-shirt. He stopped at the kitchen door again and watched Carmela as she continued to bounce around to the music. He smiled as he took her in. Her black tank top sat just above her bejewelled bellybutton and her low slung khaki cargo pants revealed the rose tattoo on her left hip. Her curly chocolate brown hair was pulled away from her face in a messy bun with shorter strands framing her face. The only jewellery she wore was her father's silver St. Christopher chain and the silver promise ring that Danny had given her in high school was on her right ring finger. He entered the kitchen just as Carmela was serving the food and they ate dinner together.

During dinner Carmela noticed something wasn't right about Danny but she decided to let it go. Sometimes he had a hard day at work; it couldn't be easy having to deal with the things he saw on a daily basis. All she could do was make sure he kept his mind off of it when he was at home.

Later that night Carmela lay on the sofa with her head on Danny's lap. A Yankees game was on the TV but neither of them were paying much attention to it. Danny ran his fingers through Carmela's silky hair.

"Do you remember Sonny Sassone?" he asked.

Carmela shot up, "From the Tanglewood Boys?" she asked, uneasily.

"Yeah", Danny replied, not meeting her green eyes with his blue ones.

"Of course I remember him. Why?"

"He was responsible for the murder of a wannabe last night." Danny sighed as he stood up.

"Was it your case? Did he see you?" Carmela asked, becoming more and more anxious.

"Mac and Stella investigated it. Sonny didn't see me but he knows I work with them. He told Mac that he should ask me about the odds on him getting sent down and that I knew all about them and they knew all about me", Danny finished with a sigh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Carmela asked.

"I have no idea", Danny said as he sat back down on the sofa and put his head in his hands, "I've not spoken to Mac or Stella since but they're gonna want answers in the morning."

"Why don't you just tell Mac what happened. He might be able to help."

Danny looked at her, "What am I gonna say? By the way Mac everything I said yesterday was a lie, I really was involved with the gang I told you I had nothing to do with?"

"Explain it to him. He might understand", she pleaded.

"No way Carmela. Mac handpicked me for his team. I can't just tell him I lied to his face about something as huge as this", he raised his voice slightly.

"What are you gonna do then Danny? Let the Tanglewood Boys into our lives again?" Carmela stood up, "You know we can't do that."

"I don't know _what_ to do Carmela!" he said loudly.

"Tell Mac. He'll listen – "

"No. I can't do that. He'll never trust me again!" he yelled, something Danny had never done in all the years he and Carmela had been together.

"So you'd prefer a bullet in your head?" Carmela almost whispered, her voice dripping in hurt. She ran up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

The Past Never Stays Where It Should

Chapter Two

Carmela sat in the middle of the bed she shared with Danny and pulled her knees up to her chest. As tears ran down her face she thought about the past.

She had first met Danny in high school through her older brother Tony and their cousin Mikey. It was the summer before their senior year while Carmela was a year younger than the boys.

FLASHBACK

A sixteen-year-old Carmela walked into the kitchen of her family home in Richmond. Sitting at the kitchen table were her brother, cousin and a guy she had never met before.

"Hey C", Mikey smiled at her when he spotted her.

"Hey Mikey", she replied as she walked over to the refrigerator and took out a soda. She turned and stared at her brother over the kitchen counter then rolled her eyes.

"I'm Carmela by the way. My brother seems to have forgotten his manners – not that there were many to forget in the first place," she smiled.

"Danny", the unknown boy said with a smile and a nod.

"Well it's nice to meet you Danny." Carmela beamed.

"Likewise." he replied with a grin.

END OF FLASHBACK

A few weeks later and the couple started dating. In the months before the boys were to graduate from high school they started hanging around with Sonny Sassone and the Tanglewood Boys. At first they were just playing baseball together but the boys were getting dragged in even deeper.

FLASHBACK

The three boys sat huddled around the kitchen table in Carmela and Tony's house and were having a heated conversation.

"I can't believe you even took the damn bag from him Mikey! Now he expects us to do somethin' with it," Danny hissed.

"I had to D! Sonny wouldn't get off my back about it until I said yes," Mikey explained.

"What are we gonna do with it then?" asked Tony calmly.

"We could always flush it – tell Sonny we sold it all," Mikey suggested.

"And where are we gonna get the best part of 2G from in three days?" Danny asked.

"I don't know man. We could –-" Mikey stopped himself when Carmela and her friend Sasha came in the back door. Sasha looked at the three boys suspiciously.

"I don't like this C. They got to be up to somethin'. I ain't ever seen them this quiet", she said loudly as she sat beside Mikey and stared at him.

"Would you quit staring girl? You're makin' me uncomfortable!" he cried.

"You're uncomfortable? Well it just makes us feel all warm and fuzzy when we walk in and all conversation stops!" Sasha replied.

Danny moved over to stand beside Carmela at the kitchen counter.

"I wish those two would just get it together and put us out of our misery," she mused as Danny wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his head on her shoulder.

"That's quite a scary thought", he laughed. He looked down at his watch and sighed. "I guess I better go. My dad wants to hit the road as soon as my mom finishes her shift".

"Okay. I hope your grandma's doin' better", Carmela smiled sympathetically.

"Thanks", he kissed her softly on her lips, "I'll see you guys on Friday", he said as he moved to the door.

"Think about what we were talkin' bout D, aight?" Mikey said, raising his eyebrow. Sasha turned to look at him again. "What!" he cried as they all bust out laughing.

END OF FLASHBACK

Danny didn't come back that Friday. His grandmother took a stroke late on Thursday night so his family had to stay in Providence with her. Carmela could tell that something was going to happen that Friday night. Tony and Mikey had been acting strange since Danny had left and when they found out he wouldn't be back their moods had darkened.

FLASHBACK

Carmela sat in the living room of the house watching TV when Tony came in and sat next to her. She watched him from the corner of her eye as he fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket. Something was up but before she got the chance to ask him anything a car horn honked outside.

"That'll be Mikey", Tony said as he stood up, "C, you know I love you right?"

Carmela frowned, "Yeah Tone, and I love you too."

"Good. I just wanted to make sure you knew", he kissed her on the forehead and walked to the front door.

Carmela stood up and looked at her brother.

"Tony, what's goin-", she started.

"Bye", he said before disappearing out the door.

END OF FLASHBACK

Carmela had sat up waiting for Tony to come home. Finally when her parents returned from the family restaurant at 2.30 they chased her off to bed but she couldn't sleep. She sat on her window seat and watched the street below for any sign of Tony or Mikey. She must have dozed off because the next thing she remembered was her mother waking her and it was light outside.

FLASHBACK

Carmela looked at her mother and she knew something was wrong.

"Mama what's wrong?" she asked, her brow creasing. Her mother burst into tears and pulled Carmela to her in a tight hug. Still half asleep she looked to her father who was at her bedroom door, he too had tears running down his cheeks.

"What's going on?" Carmela asked as she pushed away from her mother and looked into her eyes.

"Tony and Mikey... they're … they're … dead", her mother sobbed.

"No … No!" Carmela shook her head violently.

"The police are downstairs. They need to speak to you Ella", her father said softly as he walked towards her.

That afternoon Carmela sat on the steps of the front porch and put her head in her hands. She had spoken to the police and answered all their questions. Phone calls had been made and most of the Taglieri clan were assembled in her living room. Every time she walked past a cousin or an aunt they would shake their head or mutter something about Tony and Mikey being with God now. She couldn't stand it anymore and had escaped outside to the warm sunshine that seemed to mock her family's grief. She had only been sitting there for half an hour when she heard a car pull up and someone got out, she didn't have the energy to look up, expecting it to be another relative.

Suddenly she was engulfed in a hug by a very familiar body. Her brain took a couple of seconds to recognise that it was Danny then she hugged him tight, never wanting to let him go.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here earlier. I'm so, so sorry", he said as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"They're gone Danny. We're never goin' to see them again, never", her tears continued to fall as she tried to calm her breathing.

Danny pulled back and wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

"It's okay. They're gonna catch who did this and they're gonna go to jail for a long, long time. I promise", he whispered as he hugged her again.

END OF FLASHBACK

That night Danny had stayed with Carmela and explained that Sonny Sassone of the Tanglewood Boys had forced Mikey to take a bag of cocaine and sell it. Mikey tried to refuse but Sonny wouldn't have it. They were to meet at the local park on Friday night to give Sonny the money. Mikey, Tony and Danny had decided not to sell the drugs but to give them back to Sonny and tell him to stay out of their lives. Danny assumed that Sonny hadn't liked that so he had killed Tony and Mikey. Unfortunately there was never enough conclusive evidence to prove that Sonny Sassone or any of the Tanglewood boys had killed them so no one was ever charged with the murders.

By the time Danny went to bed Carmela was already asleep. He crawled into bed and lay behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I won't let Sonny ruin our lives again. I promise", he whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

The Past Never Stays Where It Should

Part Three

The next morning Carmela entered the kitchen to find Danny dressed for work and eating a bowl of cereal.

"Hey", she said softly as she walked over to the fridge.

"Hey", he replied, watching her as she filled a glass with milk, "So I was thinkin' about what you said last night."

"Oh yeah?" she asked, sitting down at the table next to him.

"Yeah. I'm gonna talk to Mac today. You were right, he might be able to help."

"Good. You can't deal with Sonny on your own and Mac might prefer it if you found him first before he had to find you"

Danny nodded his agreement, "I'm gonna go in a little early and try and catch him before shift starts." He took his bowl over to the sink and rinsed it out.

"Okay. Franco's gonna sort the delivery for me today so I don't need to be at work till lunch", Carmela said as she stood up and stretched.

"Lucky for some", Danny smiled before wrapping his arms around Carmela's waist and kissing her softly on her lips. Carmela put her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

Pulling back she whispered, "Stay outta trouble today."

Danny smiled, "I'll try." Carmela hit him lightly on the shoulder and smiled. He pecked her on the lips before releasing her from his arms and slipping on his scarf and coat.

"I'll see you later", he called as he headed to the door.

"Bye. Love you"

"Love you too"

Danny arrived at work 20 minutes before the shift was supposed to start. He bounded up the steps to Mac's office and smirked, 'Mac would sleep in that office if Stella let him', he thought to himself.

He knocked on the door and stuck his head in, "Mac can I talk to you?"

"Sure Danny. Come on in", he replied.

Danny explained everything to Mac about Mikey and Tony's death and the Tanglewood involvement. When he was finished Mac was silent for what seemed like an awful long time.

"I'm glad you came to me Danny, although I don't appreciate you lying to me in the first place."

Danny hung his head like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"But", Mac continued, "It's good that you decided to tell me the whole story. Don't worry about Sassone, from what you've told me he's not got anything on you. You didn't do anything with the drugs and weren't a witness to the murders."

"Sometimes I wish I had been there. I've always wondered if I could have stopped him, saved Tony and Mikey and not have to have seen the pain in Carmela's eyes", Danny sighed.

"Believe me Danny, nothing you could have done would have stopped Sonny Sassone firing that gun. And if you had been there then Carmela would have so much more pain to deal with all by herself."

"I know but … I just think that if I had been there then maybe things could have been different", Danny shrugged.

"Come on, shift's about to start", Mac said as he ushered Danny out of his office and he picked up the cases that were to be solved today.

The small team of CSI's were gathered in the break room and waited for Mac to delegate the cases.

"Aiden and Danny I want you two to look into a break-in and assault of a young woman in her apartment," Mac informed them as he handed the manila folder to Aiden, "She is currently in hospital recovering. Stella and I will be investigating a drive by shooting in Queens and we should be heading over to the scene", he finished before leaving with Stella.

"So we'll head over to the hospital and talk to the vic?" Aiden asked Danny.

"You go ahead, I just need to check something with Chad then I'll head over to the scene."

"Okay, see ya later then", Aiden said as they went their separate ways.

When Aiden arrived at the hospital their victim had been admitted from the ER. The nurse directed her to the room the young woman was in. Aiden glanced in the little window in the door and frowned.

"Can I see her chart?" Aiden asked the nurse.

The nurse handed her the chart and Aiden checked the name written at the top.

"Do you mind if I use your phone?" she asked before she walked over to the nurses' station. She glanced anxiously at the door their victim was behind as she waited for someone to answer the phone.

"Danny?"

"What's up Aiden?"

"Are you still at the lab?"

"Yeah. What's go-"

"You need to get to the hospital now"

"What? Why?"

"Our vic… It's Carmela."


	4. Chapter 4

The Past Never Stays Where It Should

Part Four

Danny burst out of the hospital elevator and ran over to Aiden.

"Where is she? Is she okay? What the hell happened?" he asked in a rush, looking around frantically.

"She's in room 416 but I gotta warn you Danny, she looks pretty bad", Aiden said softly.

"I just need to see her", Danny said as he headed toward the door and Aiden followed him.

"The doctor sedated her earlier. She should be waking up any minute now", Aiden informed him quietly as he stared at Carmela.

Danny sank into the plastic chair beside the hospital bed. Carmela's once clear skin was now many shades of red, black and blue. A cut on her bottom lip had been stitched shut and her left eye was swollen to at least twice the size it was when he had last seen her. Also her left arm was in plaster up to her elbow. Danny swallowed hard when someone joined them in the room. He looked up at a middle-aged man in a white coat.

"As I told your colleague the bruising makes Carmela's injuries look much worse than they are", he told Danny.

"Can I speak to you outside Doc?" he asked.

"I can go if you want me to." Aiden offered from her seat at the door.

"It's okay. You stay", Danny said as he walked into the hallway.

"Other than her face and arm is she hurt anywhere else?" he asked the doctor.

"Three ribs on her left side have been broken. Like the rest of her injuries they'll just take time to heal."

"Doc … I just need to know. Did you do a rape kit?"

"Yes… and it came back negative"

Danny released the breath he had been unconsciously holding, "Thanks Doc."

"Don't worry Detective. Carmela is going to be okay. Just give her body time to heal", the older man advised him before walking away.

Danny leaned against the wall and pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Who would do this to Carmela? _His_ Carmela. And why hadn't he been there to protect her?' he thought.

"Danny. She's waking up," Aiden stuck her head around the door.

Danny rushed into the hospital room and back to the chair at Carmela's bedside. He took her right hand in his and watched as her eyes fluttered open.

"Danny?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah it's me Ella. How you feelin'?"

"Sore", she replied, "Did they call you at work?"

"Uh no. Aiden and I were assigned your case. She's here too", Danny explained.

Aiden walked over to the foot of Carmela's bed, "Hey Carmela", she said with a little wave.

"Hey Aid. How you doin'?"

Aiden smiled, "I think that should be my line."

Carmela smiled briefly until her face contorted in pain.

"Are you okay?" Danny asked, anxiously.

"Yeah, my ribs just hurt a little", Carmela replied.

"The doctor said that three of them are broken. Do you remember what happened? Do you know who did this to you?"

Carmela swallowed hard and nodded, "Sonny Sassone."


	5. Chapter 5

The Past Never Stays Where It Should

Part Five

Danny stood outside Carmela's hospital room and watched her through the plastic window.

Don Flack had arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes ago and was getting a statement from Carmela. Danny knew he should have been in there, at her side, supporting her but he couldn't. He knew that once again Carmela had been hurt because of him. Why was he always in the wrong place at the wrong time? He wasn't there for Mikey and Tony and he hadn't been there for Carmela when Sonny and his boys had shown up this morning.

Danny hit the wall beside him in frustration, "Un figlio di puttana!" 

Flack came out of Carmela's room just as Danny hit his head against the wall.

"Calm down man, there's nothin' you could've done. The bastards would've got to her some other time," he tried to reassure his friend.

"That's just it Don. They wouldn't have got to her if I had been there. If I hadn't left early…" Danny lent against the wall and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"They would have come along tomorrow or the next day or the next. Danny you have to stop blaming yourself for every bad thing that happens to Carmela"

"How can I when it's all my fault in the first place? I wasn't there when the shit went down with Mikey and Tony and I wasn't there this morning. I've let Carmela down too many times and when I do she ends up gettin' hurt. She's in that hospital bed now 'cause of what happened eight years ago when once again I wasn't where I shoulda been," Danny ranted.

"Danny, Carmela doesn't blame you for anything. Alright? You gotta be strong for her, she needs you."

"I know. What did she say about Sassone? Anything to get him with?"

"Oh yes", Don smirked "Sonny was very, very stupid. Not only did Carmela scratch him and leave his DNA under his nails", he waved a small brown package at Danny, "But he confessed to killing Mikey and Tony."

"What?"

"He told Carmela that he was the one who shot them. Unfortunately he didn't stop there; it was a pretty graphic description. The nurse had to sedate Ella she got so upset."

"And once again I was out here instead of in there where I should have been"

"Danny stop. Go in the hospital room and sit with your girl. Just havin' you here's gotta mean a hell of a lot to her", Don said as he grabbed Danny by the shoulders and shoved him in the direction of Carmela's room. Danny stood and stared at the door.

"Go!" Don said sharply.

Danny turned and nodded at his friend, "You better get them."

"Oh we will."

Danny entered the sterile hospital room and sat in the plastic chair beside Carmela. The only sound in the silent room was the beeping of the heart rate monitor beside the bed. Danny brushed her dark hair off her forehead and took her right hand in his. She looked so beautiful but so fragile with her multicoloured face and numerous bandages.

Danny rested his head on the bed, "I'm never gonna let you down again Ella. Ti voglio bene."

Translations (soooo sorry if they aren't right)

"Un figlio di puttana!" – Son of a bitch Ti voglio bene – I love you 


	6. Chapter 6

The Past Never Stays Where It Should

Part Six

Carmela woke to find her hospital room dark and silent. She looked to her right and saw Danny, still in his work clothes, asleep in the chair next to her bed.

She smiled weakly, 'He looks so peaceful for a change,' she thought to herself.

Danny stirred and opened his blue eyes.

"Hey," Carmela whispered.

"Hey. How ya feelin'?" Danny asked.

"Better. I kinda upset myself earlier."

Danny nodded, "Flack told me. I'm so sorry I wasn't with you when you were talkin' to him but I ju-"

"It's okay," Carmela cut him off, "You're here now, that's all that matters."

"I still shoulda been here. I've got a habit of letting you down and it's never going to happen again," he took her hand.

"Danny you've never let me down and you never will," she squeezed his hand.

Danny's eyes left hers, "I just … you've been hurt so much by Sonny Sassone and the Tanglewood Boys and it's all because of me. I would do anything to stop you hurting but I don't know how."

"That's easy," Carmela informed him and he looked at her with a perplexed expression, "I just need you to be here and stop beating yourself up about everything that's happened in the past. You didn't know Sassone was gonna come to my apartment this morning and you didn't know that he was gonna shoot Mikey and Tony."

Danny swallowed hard and looked at Carmela with tears in his eyes, "If I ever lost you Carmela … I don't know what I'd do," he stood up and hugged her as best he could without hurting her, "I love you."

Carmela smiled, "I love you too. Don't worry, it's gonna take a lot to get rid of me Danny Messer."

Danny grinned at her and kissed her softly on the lips. He pulled back and brushed her hair off her forehead, "You're so beautiful."

She smiled, "Yeah a face full of yellowing bruises is so sexy."

He smirked, "On you it is."

"Shut up," she grinned as she swatted his arm.

There was a knock at the door and the night nurse popped her head around the door.

"Detective Messer, Detective Flack just called. He said that you should head down to the station as soon as you can."

"Thanks," Danny nodded as she left the room, "I'd better see what he wants," he said before kissing Carmela again. "I'll be back as soon as, okay?"

"Yup. See ya," Carmela waved as he headed towards the door.

"What did you need me for?" Danny asked Don Flack when he met him in the police station.

Flack grinned, "We got him."

Danny looked at him, "Sassone?"

"Uh huh. And not just for the assault on Carmela," Flack motioned for Danny to follow him down the hall, "We got a confession for the murder of Michael and Tony Taglieri."

Danny stopped, "How did you get him to confess?"

Flack shrugged and grinned, "Some gentle persuasion."

Danny was about to say something when the door of an interrogation room at the other end of the hall opened. Stella and Aiden exited the room and walked towards Danny and Flack, following them were Mac and a uniformed officer leading Sonny Sassone in a pair of handcuffs.

Danny folded his arms across his chest and watched as the man who had murdered his two best friends and seriously assaulted the woman he loved was led away to spend the rest of his life in prison.


End file.
